a general name by which are denoted the most easterly parts of America, stretching towards the north pole, and likewise some islands to the northward of the continent of Europe, lying in very high latitudes.

This country is divided into West and East Greenland. West Greenland is now determined by our latest maps to be a part of the continent of America, though upon what authority is not very clear. That part of it which the Europeans have any knowledge of is bounded on the west by Baffin's bay, on the south by Davis's straits, and on the east by the northern part of the Atlantic ocean. It is a very mountainous country, and some parts of it so high that they may be discerned 30 leagues off at sea. The inland mountains, hills, and rocks, are covered with perpetual snow; but the low lands on the sea-side are clothed with verdure in the summer season. The coast abounds with inlets, bays, and large rivers; and is surrounded with a vast number of islands of different dimensions. In a great many places, however, on the eastern coast especially, the shore is inaccessible by reason of the floating mountains of ice. The principal river, called Baal, falls into the sea in the 64th degree of latitude, where the first Danish lodge was built in 1721; and has been navigated above 40 miles up the country.

West Greenland was first peopled by Europeans in the eighth century. At that time a company of Icelanders, headed by one Erik Rande, were by accident driven on that coast. On his return he represented the land country in such a favourable light, that some families again followed him thither, where they soon became a thriving colony, and bestowed on their new habitation the name of Greenland or Greenland, on account of its verdant appearance. This colony was converted to Christianity by a missionary from Norway, sent thither by the celebrated Olaf, the first Norwegian monarch who embraced the true religion. The Greenland settlement continued to increase and thrive under his protection; and in a little time the country was provided with many towns, churches, convents, bishops, &c. under the jurisdiction of the archbishop of Drontheim. A considerable commerce was carried on between Greenland and Norway; and a regular intercourse maintained between the two countries till the year 1406, when the last bishop was sent over. From that time all correspondence was cut off, and all knowledge of Greenland has been buried in oblivion.

This strange and abrupt cessation of all trade and intercourse has been attributed to various causes; but the most probable is the following: The colony, from its first settlement, had been harassed by the natives, a barbarous and savage people, agreeing in customs, garb, language, and appearance, with the Equimaux found about Hudson's bay. This nation, called Schrellings, at length prevailed against the Iceland settlers who inhabited the western district, and exterminated them in the 14th century: insomuch, that when their brethren of the eastern district came to their assistance, they found nothing alive but some cattle and flocks of sheep running wild about the country. Perhaps they themselves afterwards experienced the same fate, and were totally destroyed by these Schrellings, whose descendants still inhabit the western parts of Greenland, and from tradition confirm this conjecture. They affirm that the houses and villages, whose ruins still appear, were inhabited by a nation of strangers, whom their ancestors ancestors destroyed. There are reasons, however, for believing that there may be still some descendants of the ancient Iceland colony remaining in the eastern district, though they cannot be visited by land, on account of the stupendous mountains, perpetually covered with snow, which divide the two parts of Greenland; while they have been rendered inaccessible by sea, by the vast quantity of ice driven from Spitzbergen, or East Greenland. One would imagine that there must have been some considerable alteration in the northern parts of the world since the 15th century, so that the coast of Greenland is now become almost totally inaccessible, though formerly visited with very little difficulty. It is also natural to ask, By what means the people of the eastern colony surmounted the above-mentioned obstacles when they went to the assistance of their western friends; how they returned to their own country; and in what manner historians learned the success of their expedition? Concerning all this we have very little satisfactory information.

All that can be learned from the most authentic records is, that Greenland was divided into two districts, called West Bygd and East Bygd: that the western division contained four parishes and 100 villages: that the eastern district was still more flourishing, as being nearer to Iceland, sooner settled, and more frequented by shipping from Norway. There are also many accounts, though most of them romantic and slightly attested, which render it probable that part of the eastern colony still subsists, who, at some time or other, may have given the imperfect relation above mentioned. This colony, in ancient times, certainly comprehended twelve extensive parishes, one hundred and ninety villages, a bishop's see, and two monasteries. The present inhabitants of the western district are entirely ignorant of this part, from which they are divided by rocks, mountains, and deserts, and still more effectually by their apprehensions: for they believe the eastern Greenlanders to be a cruel, barbarous nation, that destroy and eat all strangers who fall into their hands. About a century after all intercourse between Norway and Greenland had ceased, several ships were sent successively by the kings of Denmark in order to discover the eastern district; but all of them miscarried. Among these adventurers, Mogens Heinsen, after having surmounted many difficulties and dangers, got sight of the land; which, however, he could not approach. At his return, he pretended that the ship was arrested in the middle of her course by certain rocks of loadstone at the bottom of the sea. The same year, 1576, in which this attempt was made, has been rendered remarkable by the voyage of Captain Martin Frobisher, sent upon the same errand by Queen Elizabeth. He likewise desired the land; but could not reach it, and therefore returned to England; yet not before he had sailed sixty leagues in the strait Greenland, which still retains his name, and landed on several islands, where he had some communication with the natives. He had likewise taken possession of the country in the name of Queen Elizabeth; and brought away some pieces of heavy black stone, from which the refiners of London extracted a certain proportion of gold. In the ensuing spring he undertook a second voyage, at the head of a small squadron, equipped at the expense of the public; entered the straits a second time; discovered upon an island a gold and silver mine; be-floated names upon different bays, islands, and headlands; and brought away a lading of ore, together with two natives, a male and a female, whom the English kidnapped.

Such was the success of this voyage, that another armament was fitted out under the auspices of Admiral Frobisher, consisting of 15 sail, including a considerable number of soldiers, miners, smelters, carpenters, and bakers, to remain all the winter near the mines in a wooden fort, the different pieces of which they carried out in the transports. They met with boisterous weather, impenetrable fogs, and violent currents upon the coast of Greenland, which retarded their operations until the season was far advanced. Part of their wooden fort was lost at sea; and they had neither provision nor fuel sufficient for the winter. The admiral therefore determined to return with as much ore as he could procure; of this they obtained large quantities out of a new mine, to which they gave the name of the Countess of Suffolk. They likewise built a house of stone and lime, provided with ovens; and here, with a view to conciliate the affection of the natives, they left a quantity of small morrice-bells, knives, beads, looking-glasses, leaden pictures, and other toys, together with several loaves of bread. They buried the timber of the fort where it could be easily found next year; and sowed corn, peas, and other grain, by way of experiment, to know what the country would produce. Having taken these precautions, they failed from thence in the beginning of September; and after a month's stormy passage, arrived in England: but this noble design was never prosecuted.

Christian IV, king of Denmark, being desirous of discovering the old Greenland settlement, sent three ships thither, under the command of Captain Godtke Lindenow; who is said to have reached the east coast of Greenland, where he traded with the savage inhabitants, such as they are still found in the western district, but saw no signs of a civilized people. Had he actually landed in the eastern division, he must have perceived some remains of the ancient colony, even in the ruins of their convents and villages. Lindenow kidnapped two of the natives, who were conveyed to Copenhagen; and the same cruel fraud (A) was practiced

(A) Nothing can be more inhuman and repugnant to the dictates of common justice than this practice of tearing away poor creatures from their country, their families, and connections; unless we suppose them altogether destitute of natural affection: and that this was not the case with those poor Greenlanders, some of whom were brought alive to Copenhagen, appears from the whole tenor of their conduct, upon their first capture, and during their confinement in Denmark. When first captivated, they rent the air with their cries and lamentations: they even leaped into the sea; and, when taken on board, for some time refused all sustenance. Their eyes were continually turned towards their dear country, and their faces always bathed in tears. Even Greenland, tified by other two ships which sailed into Davis's straits, where they discovered divers fine harbours, and delightful meadows covered with verdure. In some places they are said to have found a considerable quantity of ore, every hundred pounds of which yielded twenty-fix ounces of silver. The same Admiral Lindenow made another voyage to the coast of Greenland in the year 1666, directing his course to the westward of Cape Farewell. He coasted along the straits of Davis; and having made some observations on the face of the country, the harbours, and islands, returned to Denmark. Carsten Richards, being detached with two ships on the same discovery, described the high land on the eastern side of Greenland; but was hindered by the ice from approaching the shore.

Other expeditions of the same nature have been planned and executed with the same bad success, under the auspices of a Danish company of merchants. Two ships returned from the western part of Greenland loaded with a kind of yellow sand, supposed to contain a large proportion of gold. This being assayed by the goldsmiths of Copenhagen, was condemned as useless, and thrown overboard; but from a small quantity of this sand, which was reserved as a curiosity, an expert chemist afterwards extracted a quantity of pure gold. The captain, who brought home this adventure, was so chagrined at his disappointment, that he died of grief, without having left any directions concerning the place where the land had been discovered. In the year 1654, Henry Moller, a rich Dane, equipped a vessel under the command of David de Nelles, who sailed to the west coast of Greenland, from which he carried off three women of the country. Other efforts have been made, under the encouragement of the Danish king, for the discovery and recovery of the old Iceland colony in Greenland; but all of them miscarried, and people began to look upon such expeditions as wild and chimerical. At length the Greenland company at Bergen in Norway, transported a colony to the western coast, about the 64th degree of latitude; and these Norwegians failed in the year 1712, accompanied by the Reverend Hans Egede, to whose care, ability, and precision, we owe the best and most authentic account of modern Greenland.—This gentleman endeavoured to reach the eastern district, by coasting southwards, and advanced as far as the States promontory; but the season of the year, and continual storms, obliged him to return; and as he could not even find the strait of Frobisher, he concluded that no such place ever existed. In the year 1724, a ship, being equipped by the company, failed on this discovery, with a view to land on the east side opposite to Iceland; but the vast fields of ice, which Greenland barricaded that part of the coast, rendered this scheme impracticable. His Danish majesty, in the year 1728, caused horses to be transported to Greenland, in hope that the settlers might by their means travel over land to the eastern district: but the icy mountains were found impassable. Finally, Lieutenant Richards, in a ship which had wintered near the new Danish colony, attempted, in his return to Denmark, to land on the eastern shore; but all his endeavours proved abortive.

Mr Egede is of opinion, that the only practicable method of reaching that part of the country, will be to coast north about in small vessels, between the great flakes of ice and the shore; as the Greenlanders have declared, that the currents continually rushing from the bays and inlets, and running south-westwards along the shore, hinder the ice from adhering to the land; so that there is always a channel open, through which vessels of small burden might pass, especially if lodges were built at convenient distances on the shore, for the convenience and direction of the adventurers.

That part of the country which is now visited and settled by the Danes and Norwegians, lies between the 64th and 68th degrees of north latitude; and thus the country, which continues from the end of May to the middle of September, the weather is warm and comfortable, while the wind blows easterly; though even at this time storms frequently happen, which rage with incredible violence; and the sea-coasts are infested with fogs that are equally disagreeable and unhealthy.—Near the shore, and in the bays and inlets, the low land is clothed with the most charming verdure; but the inland mountains are perpetually covered with ice and snow. To the northward of the 68th degree of latitude the cold is prodigiously intense; and towards the end of August all the coast is covered with ice, which never thaws till April or May, and sometimes not till the latter end of June. Nothing can exhibit a more dreadful, and at the same time a more dazzling, appearance, than those prodigious masses of ice that surround the whole coast in various forms, reflecting a multitude of colours from the sun-beams, and calling to mind the enchanted scenes of romance. Such prospects they yield in calm weather; but when the wind begins to blow, and the waves to rise in vast billows, the violent shocks of those pieces of ice dashing against one another, fill the mind with horror.—Greenland is seldom visited with thunder and lightning, but the Aurora Borealis is very frequent and bright. At the time of new and full moon, the tide rises and falls upon this coast

the countenance of his Danish majesty, and the cares of the court and people, could not alleviate their grief. One of them was perceived to shed tears always when he saw an infant in the mother's arms; a circumstance from whence it was naturally concluded, that he had left his wife with a young child in Greenland. Two of them went to sea in their little canoes in hope of reaching Greenland; but one of them was retaken. Other two made the same attempt: but were driven by a storm on the coast of Schonen, where they were apprehended by the peasants, and reconveyed to Copenhagen. One of them afterwards died of a fever, caught in fishing pearl, during the winter, for the governor of Kolding. The rest lived some years in Denmark; but at length, seeing no prospect of being able to revisit their native country, they sunk into a kind of melancholy disorder, and expired. coast about three fathoms; and it is remarkable, that the springs and fountains on shore rise and fall with the flux and reflux of the ocean.

The soil of Greenland varies like that of all other mountainous countries. The hills are very barren, being indeed frozen throughout the whole year; but the valleys and low grounds, especially near the sea, are rich and fruitful. The ancient Norwegian chronicles inform us, that Greenland formerly produced a great number of cattle; and that considerable quantities of butter and cheese were exported to Norway; and, on account of their peculiar excellency, set apart for the king's use. The same histories inform us, that some parts of the country yielded excellent wheat; and that large oaks were found here, which carried acorns as big as apples. Some of these oaks still remain in the southern parts, and in many places the marks of ploughed land are easily perceived. At present, however, the country is destitute of corn and cattle, though in many places it produces excellent pasture; and, if properly cultivated, would probably yield grain also. Mr Egede sowed some barley in a bay adjoining to the Danish colony. It sprang up so fast, that by the latter end of July it was in the full ear; but being nipped by a night-frost, it never arrived at maturity. This seed was brought from Bergen, where the summer is of greater heat and duration than in Greenland; but in all probability the corn which grows in the northern parts of Norway would also thrive here. Turnips and coleworts of an excellent taste and flavour are also produced here. The sides of the mountains near the bays are clothed with wild thyme, which diffuses its fragrance to a great distance. The herb tormentil is very common in this country, and likewise many others not described by the botanists. Among the fruits of Greenland we number juniper-berries, blue-berries, bil-berries, and bramble-berries.

Greenland is thought to contain many mines of metal, though none of them are wrought. To the southward of the Danish colony are some appearances of a mine of copper. Mr Egede once received a lump of ore from one of the natives; and here he found calamine of a yellow colour. He once sent a considerable quantity of sand of a yellow colour, intermixed with streaks of vermilion, to the Bergen company. They probably found their account in this present; for they desired him by a letter to procure as much of that sand as possible: but he was never able to find the place where he saw the first specimen. It was one of the smallest among a great number of islands; and the mark he had set up was blown down by a violent storm. Possibly this might be the same mineral of which Captain Frobisher brought so much to England. This country produces rock-crystals both red and white, and whole mountains of the asbestos or incombustible flax. Around the colony, which is known by the name of Good Hope, they find a kind of ballard marble of various colours, which the natives form into bowls, lamps, pots, &c. All that has been said of the fertility of Greenland, however, must be understood only of that part which lies between the 60th and 65th degrees of latitude. The most northern parts are totally destitute of herbs and plants. The wretched inhabitants cannot find grass in sufficient quantities to stuff into their shoes to keep their feet warm, but are obliged to buy it from those who inhabit the more southern parts.

The animals which abound most in Greenland are, rein-deer, foxes, hares, dogs, and white bears. The hares are of a white colour, and very fat; the foxes are of different colours, white, grayish, and bluish; and smaller than those of Denmark and Norway. The natives keep a great number of dogs, which are large, white, or speckled, and rough, with ears standing upright, as is the case with all the dogs peculiar to cold climates. They are timorous and stupid; and neither bay nor bark, but sometimes howl dismally. In the northern parts the natives yoke them in fedges; which, though heavy laden, they will draw on the ice at the rate of 70 miles in a short winter's day. These poor animals are very ill rewarded for their service; being left to provide for themselves, except when their masters happen to catch a great number of seals. On these occasions the dogs are regaled with the blood and entrails; at other times they subsist, like wild beasts, upon muletes and berries. Here also are found great numbers of ravens, eagles of a prodigious size, falcons, and other birds of prey; and likewise a kind of linnet, which warbles very melodiously. Whales, sword-fish, porpoises, &c. abound on the coasts; also holly-butt, turbot, cod, haddock, &c.

The people who now inhabit the western coast of Greenland, and who, without doubt, are the descendants of the inhabitants of the ancient Schrellings, who exterminated the first Iceland colony, bear a near resemblance to the Samoiedes and Laplanders in their persons, complexions, and way of life. They are short, brawny, and inclined to corpulency; with broad faces, flat noses, thick lips, black hair and eyes, and a yellowish tawny complexion. They are for the most part vigorous and healthy; but remarkably short-lived; few of them reaching the grand climacteric; and many dying in their infancy, and in the prime of youth. They are subject to a weakness in the eyes, occasioned by the piercing winds and the glare of the snow in the winter time. The leprosy is known among them, but is not contagious. Those that dwell in the northern parts are miserably tormented with dysenteries, rheums, and pulmonary disorders, boils, and epilepsy. The smallpox being imported among them from Copenhagen in the year 1734, made terrible havoc among these poor people, who are utterly destitute of any knowledge of the medicinal art, and depend entirely for affluence upon their orgehuts or conjurers. In their dispositions the Greenlanders are cold, phlegmatic, indolent, and slow of apprehension: but very quiet, orderly, and good-natured. They live peaceably together; and have every thing in common, without strife, envying, or animosity. They are civil and hospitable, but frowenly to a degree almost beyond the Hottentots themselves. They never wash themselves with water; but lick their paws like the cat, and then rub their faces with them. They eat after their dogs without washing their dishes; devour the lice which devour them; and even lick the sweat, which they scrape off from their faces with their knives. The women wash themselves with their own urine, which they imagine makes their hair grow; and in the winter-time go out immediately after, to let the liquor freeze upon their skin. Greenland. They will often eat their victuals off the dirty ground, without any vessel to hold them in; and devour rotten flesh with the greatest avidity. In times of scarcity they will subsist on pieces of old skin, reeds, seaweed, and a root called tugoronet, dressed with train-oil and fat. The dung of rein deer taken from the intestines, the entrails of partridges, and all sorts of offals, are counted dainties among these savages; and of the scrapings of seal skins they make delicate pan-cakes. At first they could not taste the Danish provisions without abhorrence; but now they are become extremely fond of bread and butter, though they still retain an aversion to tobacco and spirituous liquors; in which particular they differ from almost all savages on the face of the earth.

The Greenlanders commonly content themselves with one wife; who is condemned, as among other savage nations, to do all the drudgery, and may be corrected, or even divorced, by the husband at pleasure. Heroes, however, and extraordinary personages, are indulged with a plurality of wives. Their young women are generally chaste and bashful; but at some of their feasts, in the midst of their jollity, a man retires with his neighbour's wife behind a curtain made of skins; and all the guests, thus coupled, retire in their turns. The women think themselves happy if an angekut or prophet will thus honour them with his carefes. These people never marry within the prohibited degrees of consanguinity, nor is it counted decent in a couple to marry who have been educated in the same family.—They have a number of ridiculous and superstitious customs; among which the two following are the most remarkable: While a woman is in labour the goths hold a chamber-pot over her head, as a charm to hasten the delivery. When the child is a year old, the mother licks and flabbers it all over, to render it, as she imagines, more strong and hardy.

All the Greenlanders hitherto known speak the same language, though different dialects prevail in different parts of the country. It abounds with double consonants; and is so guttural, that the pronunciation of many words is not to be learned except by those who have been accustomed to it from their infancy. The letters C, D, F, Q, and X, are not known in their alphabet. Like the North Americans, and inhabitants of Kamtschatka, they have a great number of long polysyllables. Their words, nouns as well as verbs, are inflected at the end by varying the termination, without the help of articles: but their language being found defective, they have adopted a good many words from the Norwegian dialect. Notwithstanding the endeavours of the Danish missionaries, they have no great reason to boast of the profelytes they have made of the natives of Greenland. These savages pay great deference and respect to the Danes, whom indeed they obey as their masters, and hear the truths of the Christian religion expounded without doubting the veracity of their teachers; but at the same time they listen with the most mortifying indifference, without being in the least influenced by what they have heard. They believe in the immortality of the soul, and the existence of a spirit whom they call Torngarfsak; but of whom they have formed the most ridiculous notions. The angekuts, who are supposed to be his immediate ministers, differ concerning the principles of his existence; some affirming that he is without form or shape; others, that he has the shape of a bear; others, that he has a large human body with only one arm; while others affirm that he is no larger than a man's finger, with many other absurdities of a similar kind. They have also a peculiar kind of mythology, by which they believe all the elements to be full of spirits, from among which every one of their prophets is supplied with a familiar which they name Torngack, and who is always ready when summoned to his assistance.

The Greenlanders are employed all the year round, either in fishing or hunting. At sea they pursue the whales, morses, seals, fish for eating, and sea fowl. On shore they hunt the rein-deer in different parts of the country. They drive these animals, which feed in large herds, into a narrow circle or defile, where they are easily slain with arrows. Their bow is made of fir-tree, wound about with the twisted sinews of animals; the string is composed of the same stuff, or of seal skin: the arrow is a full fathom in length, pointed with a bearded iron, or a sharp bone; but those with which they kill birds are blunt, that they may not tear the flesh. Sea fowls they kill with lances, which they throw to a great distance with surprising dexterity. Their manner of catching whales is quite different from that practised by the Europeans. About 50 persons, men and women, set out in one long boat, which is called a kone-boat, from kone, a "woman," because it is rowed by females only. When they find a whale, they strike him with harpoons, to which are fastened with long lines some seal skins blown up like bladders. These, by floating on the surface, not only discover the back of the whale, but hinder him from diving under water for any length of time. They continue to pursue him until he loses strength, when they pierce him with spears and lances till he expires. On this occasion they are clad in their spring coats, consisting of one piece, with gloves, boots, caps made of seal-skin so closely laced and sewed that they keep out water. Thus accoutred, they leap into the sea; and begin to slice off the fat, even under water, before the whale is dead.—They have many different ways of killing seals; namely, by striking them with a small harpoon equipped also with an air-bag; by watching them when they come to breathe at the air-holes in the ice, and striking them with spears; by approaching them in the disguise of their own species, that is, covered with a seal-skin, creeping upon the ice, and moving the head from side to side as the seals are accustomed to do. By this stratagem the Greenlander moves towards the unexpecting seal, and kills him with a spear. The Greenlanders angle with lines made of whale-bone cut very small, by means of which they succeed wonderfully. The Greenland canoe, like that used in Nova Zembla and Hudson's bay, is about three fathoms in length, pointed at both ends, and three quarters of a yard in breadth. It is composed of thin rafts fastened together with the sinews of animals. It is covered with dressed seal-skins both below and above, in such a manner that only a circular hole is left in the middle, large enough to admit the body of one man. Into this the Greenlander thrusts himself up to the waist, and fastens the skin so tight enland, about him that no water can enter. Thus secured, and armed with a paddle broad at both ends, he will venture out to sea in the most stormy weather to catch seals and sea-fowl; and if he is overtaken, he can easily raise himself by means of his paddle. A Greenlander in one of these canoes, which was brought with him to Copenhagen, outstripped a pinnace of 16 oars, manned with choice mariners.—The kone-boat is made of the same materials, but more durable; and so large, that it will contain 50 persons with all their tackle, baggage, and provisions. She is fitted with a mast, which carries a triangular sail made of the membranes and entrails of seals, and is managed without the help of braces and bowlines. These kones are flat bottomed, and sometimes 60 feet in length. The men think it beneath them to take charge of them; and therefore they are left to the conduct of the women, who indeed are obliged to do all the drudgery, including even the building and repairing their houses, while the men employ themselves wholly in preparing their hunting implements and fishing tackle.

This country is but thinly inhabited. In the winter time the people dwell in huts built of stone or turf: on the one side are the windows, covered with the skins of seals or rein-deer. Several families live in one of these houses, possessing each a separate apartment, before which is a hearth with a great lamp placed on a trevitt, over which hangs their kettle; above is a rack or shelf on which their wet clothes are dried. They burn train oil in their lamps; and instead of wick, they use a kind of moss, which fully answers the purpose. These fires are not only sufficient to boil their victuals; but likewise to produce such a heat, that the whole house is like a bagnio. The door is very low, that as little cold air as possible may be admitted. The house within is lined with old skins, and surrounded with benches for the convenience of strangers. In the summer time they dwell in tents made of long poles fixed in a conical form, covered in the inside with deer skins, and on the outside with seal skins, dressed so that the rain cannot pierce them.

East Greenland was for a long time considered as a part of the continent of West Greenland, but is now discovered to be an assemblage of islands lying between 76° 46' and 82° 30' of north latitude, and between 9° and 20° of east longitude. It was discovered by Sir Hugh Willoughby in the year 1553, who called it Greenland; supposing it to be a part of the western continent. In 1595, it was again visited by William Barentz and John Cornelius, two Dutchmen, who pretended to be the original discoverers, and called the country Spitzbergen, or Sharp Mountains, from the many sharp pointed and rocky mountains with which it abounds. They alleged that the coast discovered by Sir Hugh Willoughby was some other country; which accordingly the Hollander delineated on their maps and charts by the name of Willoughby Land; whereas in fact no such land ever existed; and long before the voyage of these Dutchmen, Stephen Barrows, an English shipmaster, had coasted along a desolate country from N. Lat. 78° to 80° 11', which was undoubtedly Spitzbergen. The sea in the neighbourhood of the islands of Spitzbergen abounds very much with whales, and is the common resort of the whale. Greenland, filling ships from different countries, and the country itself is frequently visited by these ships; but till the voyage of the Hon. Capt. Phipps (afterwards Lord Mulgrave), by order of his majesty, the situation of it was erroneously laid down. It was imagined that the land stretched to the northward as far as 82° of north latitude; but Capt. Phipps found the most northerly point of land, called Seven Islands, not to exceed 80° 30' of latitude. Towards the east he saw other lands lying at a distance, so that Spitzbergen plainly appeared to be surrounded by water on that side, and not joined to the continent of Asia, as former navigators had supposed. The north and west coasts also he explored, but was prevented by the ice from sailing so far to the northward as he wished. The coast appeared neither habitable nor accessible. It is formed of high, barren, black rocks, without the least marks of vegetation; in many places bare and pointed; in others covered with snow, appearing even above the clouds. The valleys between the high cliffs were filled with snow and ice. "This prospect," says Capt. Phipps, "would have suggested the idea of perpetual winter, had not the mildness of the weather, the smooth water, bright sunshine, and constant day-light, given a cheerfulness and novelty to the whole of this romantic scene." The current ran along this coast half a knot an hour north. The height of one mountain seen here was found by geometrical mensuration to be at one time 1503\( \frac{1}{2} \) feet, at another 1503\( \frac{3}{4} \) feet. By a barometer constructed after De Lue's method, the height was found to be 1588\( \frac{1}{2} \) feet. On this occasion Capt. Phipps has the following remarks. "I can account for the great difference between the geometrical measure and the barometrical according to M. de Lue's calculation, which amounts to 84.7 feet. I have no reason to doubt the accuracy of Dr. Irving's observations, which were made with great care. As to the geometrical measure, the agreement of so many triangles, each of which must have discovered even the smallest error, is the most satisfactory proof of its correctness. Since my return I have tried both the theodolite and barometer, to discover whether there was any fault in either; and find them, upon trial, as I had always done before, very accurate."

There is good anchorage in Schmeerenburgh harbour, lying in N. Lat. 74° 44', E. Long. 0° 50' 45", in 13 fathoms, sandy bottom, not far from the shore, and well sheltered from all winds. Close to this harbour is an island called Amsterdam Island, where the Dutch used formerly to boil their whale-oil; and the remains of some convenience erected by them for that purpose are still visible. The Dutch ships, excepting in time of war, still resort to this place for the later season of the whale-fishery.—The rocks about this place are chiefly a kind of marble or limestone. No appearances of metals were observed, nor any signs of ancient or modern volcanoes. No insects, or any species of reptiles, were seen, not even the common earthworm. There were no springs or rivers; but great plenty of water was produced from the snow which melted on the mountains.

The most remarkable views which these dreary regions present are those called Icebergs. They are large bodies of ice filling the valleys between the high Greenland mountains. Their face towards the sea is nearly perpendicular, and of a very lively light-green colour.

One was about 300 feet high, with a cascade of water issuing from it. The black mountains on each side, the white snow, and greenish-coloured ice, composed a very beautiful and romantic picture. Large pieces frequently broke off from the icebergs, and fell with great noise into the water. One piece was observed to have floated out into the bay, and grounded in 24 fathoms; it was 50 feet high above the surface of the water, and of the same beautiful colour with the iceberg from which it had separated.

These islands are totally uninhabited, though it doth not appear but that human creatures could subsist on them, notwithstanding their vicinity to the pole.—Eight English sailors, who were accidentally left here by a whale-fishing ship, survived the winter, and were brought home next season. The Dutch then attempted to settle a colony on Amsterdam island above mentioned; but all the people perished, not through the severity of the climate, but of the fever, owing to the want of those remedies which are now happily discovered, and which are found to be so effectual in preventing and curing that dreadful disease.—The late account also of six Russian sailors who stayed four years in this inhospitable country, affords a decisive proof, that a colony might be settled on East Greenland, provided the doing so could answer any good purpose.

GREENLAND Company. A joint stock of 40,000l. was by statute to be raised by subscribers, who were incorporated for 14 years from the first of October 1693, and the company to use the trade of catching whales, &c. into and from Greenland, and the Greenland seas; they may make bye-laws for the government of the persons employed in their ships, &c. Stat. 4 and 5 W. III. cap. 17. This company was farther encouraged by parliament in 1696; but partly by unskilful management, and partly by real losses, it was under the necessity of entirely breaking up, before the expiration of the term assigned to it, ending in 1707. But any person who will adventure to Greenland for whale-fishing, shall have all privileges granted to the Greenland company, by 1 Anne, cap. 16. and thus the trade was again laid open. Any subjects may import whale-fins, oil, &c. of fish caught in the Greenland seas, without paying any customs, &c. flat. 10 Geo. I. cap. 16. And ships employed in the Greenland-fishery are to be of such burden, provided with boats, so many men, fishing-lines, harping irons, &c. and be licensed to proceed; and on their return shall be paid 20s. per ton bounty, for whale-fins, &c. imported; 6 Geo. II. cap. 33. The bounty was afterwards increased; but has been lately diminished, and since this diminution, the trade has increased. See Whale-FISHERY.